Dedicated to the Business of Contemporary Live Music
THE ORGANISERS of water sports and music festival Wheels and Fins (cap. 5,000) have put the company behind the event into liquidation. The festival was due to take place in Joss Bay, Kent on 7–8 September, featuring artistes including Friendly Fires, Slaves and Mystery Jets, but was cancelled days before…
Read moreLIVE NATION Entertainment (LNE) has launched a legal appeal against the decision to award rival AEG another six-year contract to stage concerts in London’s Hyde Park. The Royal Parks, owner of the 65,000-capacity site, is being challenged by LNE over the bid process for the six-concerts-a-year contract, which it held…
Read moreTHE O2 (cap. 21,000) and owner-operator AEG have launched a corporate social responsibility programme, to promote sustainability, accessibility, charity and community. The new initiative, named Good Vibes All Round, follows existing programme AEG 1EARTH which aims to minimise the venue’s and company’s impact on the environment. During the last year,…
Read moreMUMFORD & SONS band member Ben Lovett is to open a second live music venue in London. The 600-capacity Lafayette, will be located on Goods Way in Kings Cross, adjacent to arts university Central Saint Martins and set to open in February. Lovett already owns the 350-capacity Omeara at London…
Read moreTHE MUSIC Managers Form (MMF) and YouTube have opened applications for the 2020 Accelerator programme, with backing from Arts Council England and the Scottish Music Industries Association. The initiative, which was launched last year, offers music managers the chance to win 12 months funding of up to £15,000, 100+ hours…
Read moreASM GLOBAL, the venue management giant created by the merger of AEG Facilities and SMG Europe, has won the contract to operate the 12,500-capacity arena planned Gateshead Quays. A joint venture between developer Ask Real Estate and investment manager PATRIZIA, the venue will host concerts, conferences and exhibitions, and is…
Read moreAMBASSADOR THEATRE Group (ATG) has appointed Jo Ager as general manager for new venue Stockton Globe (cap. 3,000) in Stockton-on-Tees. Ager joins ATG from Scarborough Spa Grand Hall (1,825) and the Whitby Pavilion (372) where she spent the last 10 years developing the venues for operator Sheffield International Venues (SIV)….
Read moreCAA AGENT Emma Banks will receive the Outstanding Contribution award at the Live Music Business Awards ceremony on 30 October at the convention centre beneath London’s new Hard Rock Hotel at Marble Arch. Banks has spent almost 30 years as a music agent and boasts a roster which includes Green…
Read moreANTI-TICKET abuse campaign group FanFair Alliance (FFA) has released a new guide on how artistes can help in the war against secondary ticketing. FFA recommend that artistes support consumer-friendly resale by flagging where fans can legitimately resell tickets and secondly, publicly stipulate that tickets are for “consumers only”, and those…
Read moreTHE SOCIETY of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) has welcomed a new member, discount ticketing platform Groupon Live. STAR members are required to accept and adhere to a code of practice to protect consumers and clients. “They join our many members from the biggest names in UK ticketing – ticket…
Read moreLIVE UK has heard that pioneering promoter and festival organiser Freddy Bannister died in August, aged 84. Bannister started promoting in 1959 in ballrooms around the country, before staging his first event, the Bath Festival of Blues at the Pavilion Recreational Ground in June 1969. The line-up included Led Zeppelin,…
Read moreTHE OWNER of The New Adelphi (cap, 200) in Hull has been given an Outstanding Achievement and Contribution to Grassroots Music Venues award by the Music Venue Trust (MVT). Paul Jackson was presented with the award by MVT patron KT Tunstall at the annual Venues Day, which took place on…
Read moreAMONG ISSUES to be debated at the annual Festival Congress, organised by the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), is what being independent means in the current climate of event takeovers and consolidations. Other topics will include a vision for a sustainable industry, festival funding, apps and the ethics of data…
Read moreMETAL PROMOTER Chaos Theory is celebrating 10 years in the business with a festival at The Dome (cap. 500) and Boston Music Rooms (250) in London. Ten Years of Chaos will take place on 29 February with performances throughout the day, as well as an afterparty run by London-based club…
Read moreTHE FANFAIR Alliance Award for Outstanding Contribution to Live Music is being presented to Owen Davies of OD management and his artiste Sam Fender. The pair will receive the accolade at the Artist & Manager Awards (AMAs), which is organised by the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Featured Artists Coalition….
Read moreTICKET INSURANCE firm Ticketplan has announced a partnership with Cardiff’s St David’s Hall (cap. 2,000), to offer concert-goers an insurance option when buying tickets. The venue, which is owned and managed by Cardiff City Council, hosts over 300 events a year including concerts by Belinda Carlisle, Will Young, Van Morrison…
Read moreTHE MANAGEMENT of Bristol’s Hall says it will be the UK’s first sustainable venue when it reopens after extensive refurbishment. Previously 1,932 capacity, the hall is undergoing a £50 million overhaul to create a main performance space welcoming audiences of 2,100 when it reopens in 2021, at least a year…
Read moreCONTROVERSIAL SECONDARY ticketing platform Viagogo has experienced an almost 80 per cent decline in visitors to its website after Google removed the company’s paid-for top search results listing in July, according to The Guardian. Google’s decision followed the Competition & Markets Authority’s (CMA) legal suit against Viagogo for contempt of…
Read moreCAA AGENT Emma Banks will receive the Outstanding Contribution award at the Live Music Business Awards ceremony on 30 October at the convention centre beneath London’s new Hard Rock Hotel at Marble Arch. Banks has spent almost 30 years as a music agent and boasts a roster which includes Green…
Read morePROMOTER AND venue operator The MJR Group has been bought by Australian promoter and leading ticketing company TEG, in a deal that will see MJR rebranded as TEG UK. Bristol-headquartered MJR, which says it works on more than 2,000 shows per year across its portfolio – including events in Australia…
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